Godard on DVD and Blu-ray

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Costas · #51 Post by **Costas** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:06 am

My two cents: I'd advise you to start with Breathless and watch the rest, in order, right up to Pierrot Le Fou in 1965 (check IMDB for the chronology and availability). While I like a lot of Godard's films from after this period, the films from his NV period are the most accessible and enjoyable. I'd wager that if you don't enjoy the majority of these, you can probably assume that the rest of his work isn't for you.

It's quite a few films, but they are all so different in their own way that I think you need to see them all to get a handle on what Godard is/was all about.

Le Petit Soldat loses more than most when taken out of context of the 1960s and the France/Algeria situation, so I'd class this as the least essential one to watch.

AZAI · #52 Post by **AZAI** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:19 am

although the interrogationscene in Le petit soldat is one of the most gripping scenes Godard has ever shot on film

duane hall · #53 Post by **duane hall** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 2:46 pm

Breathless is an excellent introduction if you don't mind watching the crappy transfer of the current DVD release. So I'd suggest waiting on Breathless and renting the Criterion DVD of Band of Outsiders first. At a glance it is not that stylistically different from Breathless, and could function as a broad introduction in a similar way. (I also think Band is a better film in general.) Then I'd go for Contempt, My Life to Live and Weekend, the latter being the apotheosis of his 60s work.

What excites me most about Godard is how active his filmmaking is. Each film is like a search (or "attempt", as he has described it). And it is not just a blind search, but a passionate, directed outreach. This type of approach can yield mixed results, and thus a lack of real critical consensus (as evidenced in this thread) compared to most directors of comparable renown. So I agree with Costas that you should see "them all," or at least the majority of his work through 1967.

It is also important to understand that Godard films are not simply means of espousing his latest views or pontifications, but are very active efforts to become continually more engaged with film itself as a medium. My best experiences with Godard films have managed, incredibly, paradoxically, to make me simultaneously detached and reflective (through Godard's restless play with the medium and reflexivity) and emotionally enveloped in the film (Contempt, My Life to Live, 2 or 3 Things have yielded that heightened, enraptured feeling to me). It's strange to feel outside and inside a film at the same time, and to be equally thrilled at both locations.

solent · #54 Post by **solent** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:15 am

I prefer the 64-67 period but BREATHLESS is the way to start. Be prepared to hit boring segments here and there within each film. This is typical of Godard's films and it is experienced by all vewers so don't think you have a unique problem. For example: I like the bedroom scene in BREATHLESS but it [deliberately] goes on too long and it makes one restless and hoping for the 'action' to continue so the film can reach its cinematic conclusion but then again it's a great scene in its own right. The Nana-Parain conversation in MY LIFE TO LIVE & the train sequence in LA CHINOISE are more examples. These extended scenes are part of Godard's strategy and quite deliberate in their distancing effects upon the viewer. Godard remains the most influential & original (avant-garde) filmmaker in history, he is worth checking out.

I only have 3 films to get on DVD [MARRIED WOMAN, MASCULIN & TWO OR THREE THINGS] and then I'll have his complete works [1960-67]. After that, one can only replace certain films with better transfers as they become available

skuhn8 · #55 Post by **skuhn8** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:57 am

Contempt (Bardot eye candy is a plus and lush color cinematography--and Fritz Lang speaking French), Band of Outsiders, and of course Breathless to see where it all began.

dvdane · #56 Post by **dvdane** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:43 pm

The best way for a beginner to be introduced to Godard is reading about him. It is simply foolish to believe that just watching a few of his films will get you to first base.

There are many good books on Godard, so take your pick. Of films, I would recommed Criterions "Contempt", because it has one highly informative audio commentary towards both the film it self and towards Godards approach to cinema at that point in time.

skuhn8 · #57 Post by **skuhn8** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:11 pm

dvdane wrote:The best way for a beginner to be introduced to Godard is reading about him. It is simply foolish to believe that just watching a few of his films will get you to first base.

Couldn't disagree more. He's a filmmaker. Watch some of his films. Then if you are intrigued (and I suspect you will be) delve into some of the literature. To get "a taste" of Godard through books about him rather than films by him is just silly. First base is exposure...not a doctoral thesis.

Michael · #58 Post by **Michael** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:28 pm

The best way for a beginner to be introduced to Godard is reading about him. It is simply foolish to believe that just watching a few of his films will get you to first base.

Maybe for you. Without reading anything about Godard, I went to see about ten films by Godard and was utterly knocked out. Telling a beginner to read books about Godard before watching Breathless or Contempt sounds foolish to me. Check them out first. Experience them! If you like them, then you can read more about the artist and his works to expand the understanding, appreciation, love, whatever. Then go back to his films anytime.

backstreetsbackalright · #59 Post by **backstreetsbackalright** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:36 pm

skuhn8 wrote:
dvdane wrote:The best way for a beginner to be introduced to Godard is reading about him. It is simply foolish to believe that just watching a few of his films will get you to first base.
Couldn't disagree more. He's a filmmaker. Watch some of his films. Then if you are intrigued (and I suspect you will be) delve into some of the literature. To get "a taste" of Godard through books about him rather than films by him is just silly. First base is exposure...not a doctoral thesis.

I definitely agree on this point. The reading may not add up to much without having first seen the films in question. At the same time, there's a lot to be said for reading Godard as a supplement to the mid- to late-1960s stuff. Films like La Femme Mariee and Pierrot le fou gain immeasurable strength with the help of Godard on Godard, and arguably suffer without the readings.

stroszeck · #60 Post by **stroszeck** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:03 pm

The crappy DVD release of BREATHLESS is selling for big bucks ($50) on Amazon and I was wondering whether it's OUT OF PRINT? I could buy it for $20, but does anyone have any solid info about a possible remastered version?

Thanks.

backstreetsbackalright · #61 Post by **backstreetsbackalright** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:54 pm

stroszeck wrote:The crappy DVD release of BREATHLESS is selling for big bucks ($50) on Amazon and I was wondering whether it's OUT OF PRINT? I could buy it for $20, but does anyone have any solid info about a possible remastered version?

Yeah, I think it is out-of-print. I dunno that anyone has any concrete info on a re-release, but it does seem like an awfully well-regarded film to let slip out of circulation. As far as whether it's worth buying at those high prices, the answer is probably no. The DVD is not nearly as scandalously horrific as legend holds, but it is bad enough that I prefer to watch my VHS copy. Chances are that it'll either be repressed, or given a better treatment by another label.

duane hall · #62 Post by **duane hall** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:57 pm

solent wrote:Be prepared to hit boring segments here and there within each film. This is typical of Godard's films and it is experienced by all vewers so don't think you have a unique problem. For example: I like the bedroom scene in BREATHLESS but it [deliberately] goes on too long and it makes one restless and hoping for the 'action' to continue so the film can reach its cinematic conclusion but then again it's a great scene in its own right. The Nana-Parain conversation in MY LIFE TO LIVE & the train sequence in LA CHINOISE are more examples. These extended scenes are part of Godard's strategy and quite deliberate in their distancing effects upon the viewer. Godard remains the most influential & original (avant-garde) filmmaker in history, he is worth checking out.

Heh. What you call the boring parts of My Life to Live and La Chinoise are to me perhaps the most engaging portions of each picture! Especially in La Chinoise, the train conversation is like the disclosure of the whole movie when the youths' impassioned yet ineffectual radicalism takes on its tragic quality. And seeing Nana engage in such a thoughtful (and also tender) conversation toward the end of My Life to Live really enriches the film's head and heart for me, greatly increases the film's overall power.

Anyone else want to chime in on these scenes? This just goes to show again how Godard has something for everyone (okay, MOST people

) but that that something is often very different for each viewer.

For me, Godard tends to be more boring when he's MORE active or kinetic . Pierrot Le Fou, A Woman Is A Woman and Made in USA, as playful as they are, don't add up to nearly as much for me as more patient films like Contempt, My Life to Live and 2 or 3 Things

Costas · #63 Post by **Costas** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:43 am

A couple of points related to previous posts:

The Optimum R2 of 'Breathless' has an acceptable transfer, is relatively cheap (Play.com have it for GBP Â£8.99), contains the early short, 'Charlotte Et Son Jules' and a nice poster & photo gallery. Until a better version (Criterion?) comes along, this is the one I'd recommend.

Literature by/on Godard does greatly enhance his work, but the only place to start is with the films themselves. In my experience, most of them stand up to repeated viewings (I'd even go so far as to say they demand it) and revisiting them after watching them initially and then doing some research would be my recommended course of action. Seems like a lot of work, but then again, Godard isn't exactly a walk in the park.

dekadetia · #64 Post by **dekadetia** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:00 am

Costas wrote:Literature by/on Godard does greatly enhance his work, but the only place to start is with the films themselves.

So...based on suggestions for and against reading a book on Godard before watching his films, I feel compelled to read one concurrently -- so, which would make a good primer book on Godard? I'm guessing, for starters, that a critical work would be preferable to one of Godard's own books.

Costas · #65 Post by **Costas** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 9:09 am

dekadetia wrote:
Costas wrote:Literature by/on Godard does greatly enhance his work, but the only place to start is with the films themselves.
So...based on suggestions for and against reading a book on Godard before watching his films, I feel compelled to read one concurrently -- so, which would make a good primer book on Godard? I'm guessing, for starters, that a critical work would be preferable to one of Godard's own books.

Assuming that you're going to start with his early work, I'd say Godard on Godard is as good a place to start as any.

Aside from various articles in mazagines/books, I've not read a complete critical study of his work, so I'll leave it to some of the other forumites to point you in the right direction there.

Some of the DVD extras out there are invaluable - e.g. the excellent commentary on Criterion's 'Contempt' disc and the mini-commentaries on the Fox Lorber editions of 'Breathless', 'Les Carabiniers' and 'Le Petit Soldat' and Criterion's 'Band of Outsiders'.

Finally, one thing that's just sprung to mind - avoid the atrocious Fox Lorber edition of 'Pierrot Le Fou' as it will seriously hamper your enjoyment of the film. It looks like a bad VHS transfer; non-anamorphic with washed out colours and hard-to-read burnt in subtitles. There are a couple of R2 versions out there (one in the UK Warner box-set and the French Studio Canal disc) that are superior in just about every way. The French version has English subtitles and for my money is the one to get. However, you may want to wait for the inevitable Criterion edition, although when it will be released is anyone's guess.

backstreetsbackalright · #66 Post by **backstreetsbackalright** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:53 am

Godard on Godard, all the way.

When and if you do watch Pierrot le fou, there's a nice Cambridge Film Handbook to go alongside it, with six essays taking on different contexts for placing the film in its time. Similarly, Harvard University Press has an excellent book companion to Two or Three Things... by Alfred Guzzetti - sort of a pre-commentary-era commentary track in print. (In fact, Criterion might really wanna consider tapping him for a commentary when it comes time). Also on Two or three things and Tout va bien is Colin MacCabe's "Politics of Separation" (can't figure out where I scored this one). I've grealy enjoyed essays by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Phillip Lopate on Contempt (the former can be obtained online from the Chicago Reader or Rottom Tomatoes; the latter is in the excellent Totallly, Tenderly, Tragically). I've read great stuff on My Life to Live, but I can't recall what most of it was; one excellent article is Steve Cannon's "'Not a mere question of form': the hybrid realism of Godard's Vivre sa vie,'" the source for which I cannot locate. Another good essay on that movie is Susan Sontag's, which is collected in Against Interpretation. And to go with Weekend you might check out Brian Henderson's "Toward a Non-Bourgeois Camera Style," from a book whose title, again, I don't have on-hand (sorry!). And finally, Susan Sontag has an essay on Godard-in-general from 1968 that's fairly worthwhile. You can find that one in one of her collections, but I dunno which one.

So all that lousy citation probably made this less-than-helpful. Keep in mind that the titles above are not so much a list of what I consider the definitive texts on Godard, nor a unified critical packaging of his ouvre, just a bunch of texts that I appreciated in one way or another.

duane hall · #67 Post by **duane hall** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:03 pm

I highly recommend Sontag's essay on Godard, which is available in her second essay collection, Styles of Radical Will. It really delineates exactly what is so exceptional about Godard, rather than just generalizing excitedly about jump-cuts and other cinematic mischief. Also, her take on My Life to Live, a more oblique essay, is available in her first collection, Against Interpretation.

Henderson's "Towards a Non-Bourgeouis Camera Style" was great to read after seeing Weekend. It's available in the anthology Film Theory and Criticism, edited by Braudy and Cohen, an expensive book, but one which includes many seminal essays.

The book of Godard interviews edited by David Sterritt is widely available. It's a very fun read with some priceless passages, including Godard's rebuffing of some USC film students in the 1960s and a transcription of a Kael/Godard symposium from the early 80s.

And another recommendation for Godard on Godard. Hear it straight from the Dude.

Thanks, Backstreet for the other recommendations as well. I'll have to track down those pieces on Two or Three Things, a film which I'd call the peak of his "cine-essay" style.

backstreetsbackalright · #68 Post by **backstreetsbackalright** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:29 pm

Here's some citation information on that Steve Canon Vivre sa vie article:

Cannon, Steve.
Not a Mere Question of Form': The Hybrid Realism of Godard's 'Vivre sa Vie'. French Cultural Studies v7, n3 (Oct, 1996):283 (12 pages).

"Jean-Luc Godard's 1962 film, 'Vivre sa vie,' reflects his ability to capture the reality of contemporary society and situations, despite his emphasis on the formalistic and aesthetic side of filmmaking. Godard's film confronts reality matter-of-factly, by depicting what is there before the lens, using only one microphone, real locations, natural light and no written script. His realism reflects a variety of influences, including those of Naturalism, cinema-verite, and the theatrical works of Bertolt Brecht. Godard's later, more overtly political films do not communicate as deeply as this one does." [Expanded Academic Index]

Here's info on two of the others:

MacCabe, Colin. "The Politics of Separation." Screen 16:4 (1975/76)

Rosenbaum, Jonathan. "Critical Distance: Contempt"

One more thing I thought of:

Silverman, Kaja and Harun Farocki. Speaking about Godard. New York University Press. 1998.

This is supposed to be great, and Farocki's one of my favorite filmmakers to boot! Regrettably, I haven't caught up with it yet. Here's the breakdown of chapters:

Nana is an animal : My life to live/Vivre sa vie -- In search of Homer : Contempt/Le mépris -- Words like love : Alphaville/Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution -- Anal capitalism : Weekend/Le week-end -- I speak, therefore I'm not : Gay knowledge/Le gai savoir -- In her place : Number two/Numéro deux -- Moving pictures : Passion -- The same, yet other : New wave/Nouvelle vague

rlendog · #69 Post by **rlendog** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:00 pm

blindside8zao wrote:Godard is a director I haven't checked out yet. Was just wondering what I should purchase first?

Whatever you do, don't purchase/watch King Lear first. I made that mistake and it killed any desire to see another Godard film to this day.

duane hall · #70 Post by **duane hall** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:28 pm

rlendog wrote:Whatever you do, don't purchase/watch King Lear first. I made that mistake and it killed any desire to see another Godard film to this day.

How on earth did you decide to introduce yourself to Godard with King Lear in the first place?

rlendog · #71 Post by **rlendog** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:32 am

duane hall wrote:
rlendog wrote:Whatever you do, don't purchase/watch King Lear first. I made that mistake and it killed any desire to see another Godard film to this day.
How on earth did you decide to introduce yourself to Godard with King Lear in the first place?

I like Shakespeare, I was goint through a Woody Allen phase, and that's where I ended up.

duane hall · #72 Post by **duane hall** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:27 pm

Ah, so it was more to fill out a Woody Allen phase then to start a Godard spree. Forgiveable, especially considering the billing.. Allen as Mr. Alien, Burgess Meredith as Don Learo, Godard as The Professor, Peter "Not to be Confused with Peter Sellers" Sellars as William Shakespeare Jr. the Fifth, throw in Molly Ringwald and Norman Mailer as himself... It sounds like fun. And apparently Jonathan Rosenbaum thinks its one of the best films of the 1980s...

skuhn8 · #73 Post by **skuhn8** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:31 pm

Just finished watching the Band of Outsiders CC DVD and went ahead and rewatched all the special features, The Loot. I think this is a good place to go, especially with the glossary feature, which gives a pretty good preface to how JLG operates, or at least operated. And what a great flick. Just love those close-ups of Anna Karina.

blindside8zao · #74 Post by **blindside8zao** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:04 pm

thanks for all the replies. I finally got around to watching my first Godard. I rented breathless from the school library and was sort of dissapointed? It was really good but I did not get the idea that it was a masterpiece, which are the vibes I get from people talking about it. I am certainly willing to rewatch the film and more willing to watch a different one of his films, though. Definetly liked Discrete Charm of the Bourgoise which I watched last night, better. I will try and find Band of Outsiders or Contempt.

duane hall · #75 Post by **duane hall** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:02 pm

Breathless surely gets some extra credit because it was first. (Though it is better than its two immediate followups, Le Petit Soldat and A Woman Is A Woman.) And it inspired great feelings of liberation at the time of its release, deservedly so. It is notable as a critical breakthrough for not just Godard but for Seberg, and Belmondo, an actor with by far the most gravitas of any of Godard's male leads from the 60s (excepting Constantine and his indelible mug in Alphaville.) So Breathless has history on its side.

But several of us in the thread did recommend Band of Outsiders first! Or Contempt or My Life to Live if you're interested in the more somber, somewhat rapturous (though still playful throughout) side of Godard. Or for the "scathing critique of the bourgeoisie" there's Weekend, which is being released on DVD this week, if New Yorker doesn't push it back yet again.

I can accept a film fan not especially loving Godard. (Though I would probably not agree with said viewer's gripes.) But anyone who takes cinema seriously owes it to one's self to view at least, say... three ... or four, before writing him off as entirely ... indulgent, disjointed, unfocused, lacking in feeling, whatever.